Well, it’s now been nineteen days since the release of my ebook, “The Weight is Over: How I lost 100 pounds after the age of 45” and the verdict is in…people love my book! I have been overwhelmed with emotions this past two weeks at the feedback I have received. I wasn’t ready for what happened.
Can I be honest for minute? I initially had some doubts about the book and I was a little worried about releasing it. The week before the release, I had taken a class, hosted by Conscious Consulting, on how to make an ebook in five days. If you are considering writing an ebook, I highly suggest you take this class taught by Shalah. I learned everything I needed to put my ebook together in that class. On the last day of class, my 24 classmates and I had to present our final ebooks to the class. I was blown away by the quality of books that my classmates had come up with. As everyone was presenting, I was starting to have doubt about my book. I had the following thoughts: “Who would want to read my book?” “Could my book really inspire anyone? After all, it’s just another weight loss book.” “Would anyone even buy my book?”
I decided to launch my book one week after the class ended. The next seven days were spent marketing the launch of the book. I was getting feedback from folks that they were excited about the release, but I still had some worry and overall doubt. I had to trust the process that Shalah had taught us and I stayed the course.
Then the eve of launch day came, Thursday, 3/11. I had decided to launch at midnight on Friday, 3/12. The final edit of the book was ready and loaded. I was so nervous and just couldn’t pull the trigger. Finally, 15 minutes before midnight, my husband was like, “everything is ready to go, just pull the trigger already!” So I did…
Tristan Oxendine was the woman who had originally convinced me to write the book and she wanted to buy the first book. I let her know the link was up and live and she did indeed buy the first book, right before the stroke of midnight. At that point, I was so exhausted from the prior two weeks so I went on to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I got a notification that thirteen books had already been sold, while I was sleeping! I was so excited because I had originally hoped to sell a total of ten books on launch day! At that moment, I got bold and made it my new goal to sell 35 books on launch day because this would have raised the amount I paid for the ebook course I took. At the end of the day, I didn’t sell 35 books…I ended up selling 43 books! I was overwhelmed with emotion that so many people bought the book on it’s first day on the market. Little did I know how much emotionI would actually experience over the next few weeks.
Initial reactions to the book started coming in via comments on Facebook and Instagram, private messages in Facebook Messenger and Instagram Messenger, and emails. Comments included:
“I cried, I laughed, I smiled, I even felt bad, but mostly inspired and encouraged.”
“Reading your story was a reminder that I’m not alone.”
“The author’s journey will provide the right amount of inspiration you need to jump start your own journey.”
A few ladies even sent me voice notes via Instagram Direct Messages. To hear some of the stories that were shared with me brought me to tears. I have cried about 4-5 times over the past two weeks due to women sharing how my book has impacted them. The book has a number of lessons and messages in it, but I never imagined how much it would touch people’s lives. The reactions to the book have come back and touched my life in a way that I just wasn’t ready for. I feel so blessed to have been able to pen the right words to inspire women and make a ripple in the way that many women will move forward this year. It is my humble honor to be able to give hope and inspiration to others.
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.â€
~Dalai Lama
I even learned a lesson of my own in releasing this ebook. Think about the number of people that my book has impacted so far. If had not released my book due to my doubt, those people may still be waiting for that message of inspiration. The lesson I learned is this: Do not fall victim to comparing your work and your accomplishments to those of other people. Doing that can allow you to doubt what you have to offer and possibly prevent you from moving forward.
If you have not had a chance to get your copy of my ebook, there’s still time to get one on my shop page. If you already got your copy, I thank you for your support and would love to hear your thoughts about it. Until the next post, be well my friends and remember to always be true to yourself.
